Maruti Alto 800 facelift vs rivals: Specifications comparison

The Maruti Alto has been the highest-selling car in India for a long time now. But with serious contenders thronging the entry-level hatchback segment, the Alto 800 faced a bit of pressure. Renault brought in the Kwid as a direct competitor, while Datsun will soon enter this segment with the upcoming Redigo, which is based on the Japanese carmaker’s derivative of the CMF-A platform that spawned the Kwid. The Hyundai Eon, due to its high pricing, wasn't a serious challenger, but has always been an option. Thus in a bid to give the Alto 800 a better fighting chance against its segment incumbents, Maruti has given the car an update. 

The Alto 800 facelift remains largely unchanged over its predecessor, but gets minor styling updates, additional features and most importantly, it is said to be more fuel efficient. This model is expected to take the fight forward for Maruti until its successor arrives in 2018. So what’s new on the updated version of Maruti’s workhorse?

Dimensions

While there are no sheet-metal changes on the updated Alto at 3,429mm is slightly longer than before thanks to the restyled bumpers. The Kwid, however, is the longest and widest in the segment. The Eon is second longest, while the Redigo (3,430mm) and the updated Alto are neck and neck in terms of length. The Redigo is narrower than the Kwid, but wider than the Eon, and is also the tallest car in the comparison. With no changes to the width and height, the Alto is the narrowest and lowest car among the four. Wheelbase-wise, the Kwid comes in first, while the Redigo is expected to measure the shortest between the axles.

In terms of boot space, the Kwid comes with a class-leading 300-litre boot and the Redigo follows in at a distant second with 220 litres; that's just five litres more than the Eon. The Alto’s 160-litre boot is the smallest in the segment.

With a crossover-like ground clearance of 185mm, the Redigo stands clearest off the ground, which is 5mm higher than the Kwid. The Eon has a ground clearance of 170mm, while with 160mm of clearance, the Alto is the lowest slung of the three. Expected to weight 645kg, the Redigo could be the lightest car in the segment. The Kwid weighs 670kg and the Hyundai tips the scales at 715kg. While the outgoing Alto weighted 695kg, the facelifted car is expected to be marginally heavier due to the larger bumpers and additional equipment like headrests for the rear seats.

Engine and Gearbox

The Alto’s 796cc three-cylinder engine remains unchanged, and produces 48hp and 69Nm of torque. As before, it is mated to a five-speed manual transmission, but has been tuned to deliver a better ARAI fuel economy figure of 24.7kpl compared to the earlier car’s 22.7kpl. The Kwid and the Redigo share the same powertrain, which is a 799cc, three-cylinder petrol motor mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The motor produces 54hp and 72Nm of torque, and both cars claim a class-leading ARAI fuel-efficiency figure of 25.17kpl. The Eon’s 814cc three-cylinder is the largest and most powerful unit here, producing 56hp and 74.5Nm. However, it delivers the lowest ARAI-rated fuel economy of 21.1kpl.

Safety and Equipment

The Renault Kwid is the only car in the segment to get a touchscreen infotainment system, while the Alto 800, Datsun Redigo and the Hyundai Eon offer basic audio systems with radio, CD player and aux on the top-end variants. The Alto and Eon provide the option of driver-side airbags across the trim levels. Child lock on the rear doors are offered as standard on the Eon, whereas on the Alto it  is available only on the top-end variants. However, the Kwid and Redigo get driver-side airbags only on their top-end trims. None of the cars in this comparison get ABS.

With prices to hover around the Rs 2.5-lakh mark, the upcoming Redigo is expected to be the cheapest car in the segment. However, Maruti will price the facelifted Alto lower than the outgoing model, which starts at Rs 2.6 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). This will make it cheaper than the Kwid which is priced starting at Rs 2.62 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Priced at Rs 3.24 lakh, the Hyundai Eon is the costliest car in this comparison by a sizeable margin.

The facelifted Alto will help Maruti take on the competition better, and what will be interesting to see is if this mild update and price reduction is enough to help the car hold on to its segment-leading position.